Questions for members much more knowledgeable than me re: 2004 RT

Hi all. My first BMW was a 2004 RT which I regretfully let go. I have been looking for another over the course of the last year and finally found the one I want. It is coming from a non BMW dealer who has inspected it, changed fluids etc. the bike has 45K on the odometer. One owner but no service records.

I've seen a lot of pics but it is too far away for me to go see it. I am going to have to have a little trust here and buy it and have it shipped to me.

Is it worth the time, effort and money to get it to my BMW dealer for a thorough look see after I receive it.

Any insight you can provide is really appreciated

Thanks

I've never done it. Not that I ever won't do it, but usually, as you say, the logistics suck. I do think a second set of moderately knowledgeable eyes would be a nice-to-have, though. Know anyone who could go with you?

I'm sure a good search here will help you get a list together of things to check, and things to assume you will want to do regardless, if you buy it.

Good luck!

Maybe ask if anyone is near X and can eyeball it?

To clarify, you're asking if - after receiving from the shipper the bike you've already purchased from the seller - it's worth it to take the bike to your local dealer for what would normally be a pre-purchase or safety inspection - yes?

If so, I guess it depends on how much of a logistical and financial hassle it will be. Looks like you've purchased two new or nearly new BMWs recently - were those from the dealer you'd be taking this bike to? I'd think if that were the case they'd be willing to spend an hour going over the bike while you wait - assuming you made an appointment. If they really like you, and you have taken your other bikes there for service, they might even do it gratis. Have you called to ask?

If it were me, and I felt confident enough to think I could see major issues, I'd check the brakes and tires, look for any leaks, check for play in the final drive and ride it. If it seemed good, I'd not worry about it. If you don't have a service history - or if you suspect it - might as well do fluids, plugs, valves and a throttle body synch so you can start your maintenance cycle/schedule with a known date.

It's not likely the ABS system was serviced and that would cost $$$ at a dealer to do. Most dealers shop time is around $100 and hour these days and I'm not sure what can be found by looking. Even a throttle body synch would take longer then that.

Wishing you the best!

Expect the worst and you will be happy. If the worst is too much for your budget, Pass on the bike. Mike

Hi Tracerbullet,

You don't say which bike it is that's too far away for a personal checkover. I bought two different year-'04 Rocksters in a period of 5 years, both of them sight-unseen from the Auction Site and thankfully there were no nightmares with either of them. Thinks: I should never have got rid of the first one, though....

The first one I was able to talk extensively to the seller on the phone, I was here in Spain and he was in North Wales, and he'd shot a very clear video with many close-ups and a run-engine sequence included. So I was confident at buying from such a distance.

The second Rockster was similar, again an '04 showing plenty of fotos but no video, and the seller was in County Durham. It has also turned out to be a diamond bike, with even less mileage on the clock than the first one. Although the seller was less co-operative with all my various naggings before purchase.

So it I S possible to get a good bike sight-unseen and unridden on a test ride.

If there's nobody you know near the bike who can check it out for you, maybe just "go for it", as I did.

The only real worry is whether it's one of that smallish batch of hydrau-clutched 6-speed pre-2004 bikes that suffered from a factory mis-aligned bell-housing / gearbox interface, causing premature spline wear. Fingers XXed that it isn't !

Good luck.

P.S. ¿ How do you like your 'new' Nine-T ?

I'm convinced that the Rockster was actually the precursor of the Nine-T of year 2012, when Berlin first abandoned the magnificent Telelever front suspension in favour of a Chinese Upside-Down fork setup, in order to accommodate the glycol cooler under the headlamp. But retaining the ancient single-plate dry clutch that they'd used for 6 decades. A potentially problematic design which they have in turn abandoned now, with the total redesign of the boxer motor to incorporate a cheapo Chinese-outsourced wet clutch, which they describe as "anti-hopping".

¿ What the feck does THAT mean ?.

AL in s.e. Spain.

Hi Tracerbullet,

You don't say which bike it is that's too far away for a personal checkover. I bought two different year-'04 Rocksters in a period of 5 years, both of them sight-unseen from the Auction Site and thankfully there were no nightmares with either of them. Thinks: I should never have got rid of the first one, though....

The first one I was able to talk extensively to the seller on the phone, I was here in Spain and he was in North Wales, and he'd shot a very clear video with many close-ups and a run-engine sequence included. So I was confident at buying from such a distance.

The second Rockster was similar, again an '04 showing plenty of fotos but no video, and the seller was in County Durham. It has also turned out to be a diamond bike, with even less mileage on the clock than the first one. Although the seller was less co-operative with all my various naggings before purchase.

So it I S possible to get a good bike sight-unseen and unridden on a test ride.

If there's nobody you know near the bike who can check it out for you, maybe just "go for it", as I did.

The only real worry is whether it's one of that smallish batch of hydrau-clutched 6-speed pre-2004 bikes that suffered from a factory mis-aligned bell-housing / gearbox interface, causing premature spline wear. Fingers XXed that it isn't !

Good luck.

P.S. ¿ How do you like your 'new' Nine-T ?

I'm convinced that the Rockster was actually the precursor of the Nine-T of year 2012, when Berlin first abandoned the magnificent Telelever front suspension in favour of a Chinese Upside-Down fork setup, in order to accommodate the glycol cooler under the headlamp. But retaining the ancient single-plate dry clutch that they'd used for 6 decades. A potentially problematic design which they have in turn abandoned now, with the total redesign of the boxer motor to incorporate a cheapo Chinese-outsourced wet clutch, which they describe as "anti-hopping".

¿ What the feck does THAT mean ?.

AL in s.e. Spain.

Blank posts again, due to a fault in this Forum's web-design.

Hi Tracerbullet,

You don't say which bike it is that's too far away for a personal checkover. I bought two different year-'04 Rocksters in a period of 5 years, both of them sight-unseen from the Auction Site and thankfully there were no nightmares with either of them. Thinks: I should never have got rid of the first one, though....

The first one I was able to talk extensively to the seller on the phone, I was here in Spain and he was in North Wales, and he'd shot a very clear video with many close-ups and a run-engine sequence included. So I was confident at buying from such a distance.

The second Rockster was similar, again an '04 showing plenty of fotos but no video, and the seller was in County Durham. It has also turned out to be a diamond bike, with even less mileage on the clock than the first one. Although the seller was less co-operative with all my various naggings before purchase.

So it I S possible to get a good bike sight-unseen and unridden on a test ride.

If there's nobody you know near the bike who can check it out for you, maybe just "go for it", as I did.

The only real worry is whether it's one of that smallish batch of hydrau-clutched 6-speed pre-2004 bikes that suffered from a factory mis-aligned bell-housing / gearbox interface, causing premature spline wear. Fingers XXed that it isn't !

Good luck.

P.S. ¿ How do you like your 'new' Nine-T ?

I'm convinced that the Rockster was actually the precursor of the Nine-T of year 2012, when Berlin first abandoned the magnificent Telelever front suspension in favour of a Chinese Upside-Down fork setup, in order to accommodate the glycol cooler under the headlamp. But retaining the ancient single-plate dry clutch that they'd used for 6 decades. A potentially problematic design which they have in turn abandoned now, with the total redesign of the boxer motor to incorporate a cheapo Chinese-outsourced wet clutch, which they describe as "anti-hopping".

¿ What the feck does THAT mean ?.

AL in s.e. Spain.

Quoted from Alan Sykes

Hi Tracerbullet,

You don't say which bike it is that's too far away for a personal checkover. I bought two different year-'04 Rocksters in a period of 5 years, both of them sight-unseen from the Auction Site and thankfully there were no nightmares with either of them. Thinks: I should never have got rid of the first one, though....

The first one I was able to talk extensively to the seller on the phone, I was here in Spain and he was in North Wales, and he'd shot a very clear video with many close-ups and a run-engine sequence included. So I was confident at buying from such a distance.

The second Rockster was similar, again an 04 showing plenty of fotos but no video, and the seller was in County Durham. It has also turned out to be a diamond bike, with even less mileage on the clock than the first one. Although the seller was less co-operative with all my various naggings before purchase.

So it I S possible to get a good bike sight-unseen and unridden on a test ride.

If there's nobody you know near the bike who can check it out for you, maybe just "go for it", as I did.

The only real worry is whether it's one of that smallish batch of hydrau-clutched 6-speed pre-2004 bikes that suffered from a factory mis-aligned bell-housing / gearbox interface, causing premature spline wear. Fingers XXed that it isn't !

Good luck.

P.S. How do you like your 'new' Nine-T ?

I'm convinced that the Rockster was actually the precursor of the Nine-T of year 2012, when Berlin first abandoned the magnificent Telelever front suspension in favour of a Chinese Upside-Down fork setup, in order to accommodate the glycol cooler under the headlamp. But retaining the ancient single-plate dry clutch that they'd used for 6 decades. A potentially problematic design which they have in turn abandoned now, with the total redesign of the boxer motor to incorporate a cheapo Chinese-outsourced wet clutch, which they describe as "anti-hopping".

What the feck does THAT mean ?

A potentially problematic design which they have in turn abandoned now, with the total redesign of the boxer motor to incorporate a cheapo Chinese-outsourced wet clutch, which they describe as "anti-hopping".

What the feck does THAT mean ?

Afternoon Alan

An anti-hopping clutch is just another way to say "slipper clutch". (ie no rear wheel hopping on a poorly executed downshift)

Thanks to The Oracle for the explanation of the meaning of an 'anti-hopping' clutch !

My previous Scarver, the 650cc single with the Rotax Italian engine, plus a wet clutch, was a great little belt-drive anti-hopping vehicle. Strangely it never sold well in the USA even tho' it was designed by the US guru David Robb in Berlin as a girlie motorbike based on the 650GS, with a low seat and a place instead of the fuel tank to put your handbag. Innovative design, though :-

oil-in-frame, with no separate gear oil, a StuffBox [ now worth five hundred bucks on the second-hand market ] with the tank under the seat, lusty motorcycle performance with a flexible torquey motor with 5 gears and that durable belt-drive. Plus a reliable ABS - now that was an innovation for BMW !. They abandoned it in 2006/7. Maybe it was the stupid unfashionable colours.

You never know with wimmin...

I love the 9T. probably one of the funnest bikes I have owned. Only drawback after many, many years on a Sport tourer is the lack of luggage.

IMHO it is not a highway bike but on the back roads it really shines

it puts a smile on my face standing still.